US regulator investigates, grounds all Boeing 737-9 Max jetliners after Alaska Airlines blowout
US officials have ordered the immediate grounding of Boeing 737-9 Max jetliners after an Alaska Airlines plane suffered a blowout that left a gaping hole in the side of the fuselage.
Mandatory inspections will take about four to eight hours per aircraft and will affect about 171 airplanes worldwide.
Major US airline, United Airlines, said it will also temporarily suspend flights on about nine aircraft of the same model, leading to 60 cancellations on Saturday.
An Alaska Airlines jetliner blew out a window and a portion of its fuselage shortly after take-off almost five kilometres above Oregon late on Friday.
The incident created a gaping hole and forced pilots to make an emergency landing as its 174 passengers and six crew members donned oxygen masks.
No-one was seriously hurt as the depressurised plane returned safely to Portland International Airport about 20 minutes after it had departed.
The airline has since grounded its 65 Boeing 737-9 Max aircraft until they could be inspected.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-01-...lines-blowout/